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The rivalry between Manchester United and Arsenal goes back ages. At a time, the Red Devils and the Gunners were the only two sides who fought for the Premier League title. Starting from Arsenal winning Premier League title beating Manchester United to United breaking the unbeaten run of the Gunners, the excitement and drama never ceased to exist between the two arch-rivals.
The two clubs had a similar belief regarding retaining managers and promoting homegrown players. Manchester United's academy is known for producing world class players whereas Arsene Wenger always believed in giving a chance to younger players.
Regarding derby rivalries, one cannot look beyond the famous tunnel spat between Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane. The two were the most competitive players for both clubs in that generation. Whenever the two sides met, a fight was imminent between the two legends.
Down the years, Manchester United had more success than Arsenal, but no past victories or trophies would matter when the teams would collide in a battle for the top four places. In the current campaign, Arsenal are slightly ahead of United concerning points, and a win would take them further away from the Red Devils. It would be Unai Emery's first Derby, but Jose Mourinho would not want him to take away a single point from Old Trafford.
Manchester United always had a knack of winning against Arsenal at home. There have been a few memorable victories for the Red Devils in the past. Here is a list of three of the best wins for Manchester United against Arsenal at the Theatre of Dreams.
#3 Manchester United 2 - 0 Arsenal (2004)
It was the day when Manchester United broke the 49-match unbeaten streak of Arsenal. Arsene Wenger's side won the 2003 campaign without losing a single game and even started the new campaign well until they visited Old Trafford.
The match had some unprofessional fouls, and tempers were flying high from the word go. The Gunners dominated the first proceedings of the game, but United came back as the match progressed. The Red Devils opened the scoring from a controversial penalty which was followed by Wayne Rooney's goal to make it 2-0 to United.
After the game, there was a confrontation in the tunnel which involved a pizza thrown at Sir Alex Ferguson. Arsenal fans criticized Rooney for his dive, and even Arsene Wenger bashed Van Nistelrooy after the game.
#2 Manchester United 6-1 Arsenal (2001)
Manchester United completely outplayed Arsenal in the opening 45 minutes of the game. At half-time, United were already 5-1 up, and the rout was started by Dwight Yorke who returned to form after failing to score for a few games. The goal gave Yorke a boost in confidence, and he kept the Arsenal defense modest with his skill and passing.
United were ahead within two minutes of the match, but Arsenal restored parity through Thierry Henry who netted his eighteenth goal of the season. However, Dwight again struck for the Red Devils and then went on to claim his hat-trick. Arsenal's defense was cut to pieces by the likes of Scholes, Keane, and Yorke.
The smile of Sir Alex Ferguson after the game said it all. This victory gave Manchester United a substantial leap towards claiming their seventh League title in almost nine years. It left them sixteen points clear at the top with ten games remaining.
#1 Manchester United 8-2 Arsenal (2011)
Any Arsenal fan would want to forget this dreadful day at Old Trafford. It was arguably one of the most humiliating defeats of Arsene Wenger in his Arsenal career. The Gunners lacked any big name players in the side, and it was evident in their play as well.
Manchester United were dominant from the very first minute. A young Danny Welbeck opened the scoring for the home side followed by a penalty miss from Robin Van Persie. It got worse for Wenger as Ashley Young beautifully curled the ball into the top corner, doubling United's lead in the process.
Since then, the Red Devils went rampant, scoring six more goals which included a Wayne Rooney hat-trick. Despite the comprehensive victory, the end of the season was a heartbreaking moment for Sir Alex, and his team as Manchester City won the league title on the last day of the campaign.
